Latest / Hans Christian Andersen Fairytales & Short Stories Vol. 1 / 029 - The Swineherd

Transcript

029 - The Swineherd · Hans Christian Andersen Fairytales & Short Stories Vol. 1

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Section twenty nine of Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales and
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Short Stories, Volume one. This is LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by eve Lynne.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales and Short Stories, Volume one,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: eighteen thirty five to eighteen forty two by Hans Christian Andersen,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: translated by H. P. Paul The Swineherd. Once upon a
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: time lived a poor prince. His kingdom was very small,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: but it was large enough to enable him to marry,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: and marry he would. It was rather bold of him
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: that he went and asked the Emperor's daughter, will you
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: marry me? But he ventured to do so, for his
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: name was known far and wide, and there were hundreds
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: of princesses who would have gladly accepted him. But would
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: she do so? Now we shall see on the grave
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: of the prince's father grew a rose tree, the most
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: beautiful of its kind. It bloomed only once in five years,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: and then it had only one single rose. But what
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: a rose. It has such a sweet scent that one
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: instantly forgot all sorrow and grieful one smelt it. He
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: had also a nightingale, which could sing as if every
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: sweet melody was in its throat. This frozen the nightingale
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: he wished to give to the princess, And therefore both
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: were put into big silver cases and sent to her.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: The Emperor ordered them to be carried into the Great Hall,
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: where the princess was just playing. Visitors are coming, where
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: her ladies in waiting. When she saw the large cases
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: with the presents therein, she clapped her hands for joy.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: I wish it were a little pussy cat, she said.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: But then the rose tree with the beautiful rose was unpacked.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: Oh how nicely it is made, exclaimed the ladies. It
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: is more than nice, said the Emperor. It is charming.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: The princess touched it and nearly began to cry for shame. Pa,
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: she said, it is not artificial. It is natural. For shame,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: it is natural, repeated all her ladies. Let us first
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: see what the other case contains, before we are angry,
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: said the Emperor. Then the nightingale was taken out, and
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: it sang so beautifully that no one could possibly say
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: anything unkind about it. Soup bebb shell mel said the
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: ladies of the court, for they all prattled French, one
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: worse than the other. How much the bird reminds me
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: of the musical blocks of the late lamented empress, said
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: an old courtier. It has exactly the same tone, the
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: same execution. You are right, said the Emperor, and began
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: to cry like a little child. I hope it is
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: not natural, said the princess. Yes, certainly it is natural,
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: replied those who had brought the presents. Then let it fly,
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: said the princess, and refused to see the prince. But
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: the Prince was not discouraged. He painted his face, put
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: on common clothes, pulled his cap over his forehead, and
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: came back. Good day, Emperor, he said, could you not
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: give me some employment at the court. There are so many,
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: replied the Emperor who apply for places that for the
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: present I have no vacancy. But I will remember you.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: But wait a moment. It just comes in my mind.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: I require somebody to look after my pigs, for I
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: have a great many. Thus the Prince was appointed Imperial swineherd,
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: and as such he lived in a wretchedly small room
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: near the pig stye. There he worked all day long,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: and when it was night he had made a pretty
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: little pot. There were little bells round the room, and
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: when the water began to boil in it, the bells
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: began to play the old tune. A jolly old sow
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: once lived in a stye, three little piggies had she.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: But what was more wonderful was that when one put
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: a finger into the steam rising from the pot, one
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: could at once smell what meals they were preparing on
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: every fire in the whole town. That was indeed much
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: more remarkable than the rose. When the princess with her
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: ladies passed by and heard the tune, she stopped and
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: looked quite pleased, for she also could play it. In fact,
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: it was the only tune she could play, and she
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: played it with one finger. That is the tune I know,
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: she exclaimed. He must be of all educated. Swineherd, go
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: and ask him how much the instrument is. One of
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: the ladies had to go and ask, but she put
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: on pattens. What will you take for your pot, asked
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: the lady. I will have ten kisses from the princess,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: said the swineherd. God forbid, said the lady. Well, I
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: cannot sell it for less, replied the swineherd. What did
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: he say, said the princess. I really cannot tell you,
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: replied the lady. You can whisper it into my ear.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: It is very naughty, said the princess, and walked off.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: But when she had gone a little distance, the bells
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: rang again so sweetly. A jolly old sow once lived
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: in a stye three little piggies had she ask him,
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: said the princess, if he will be satisfied with ten
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: kisses from one of my ladies, No, thank you, said
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: the swineherd. Ten kisses from the princess. Or I keep
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: my pot. That is tiresome, said the princess. But you
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: must stand before me so that nobody can see it.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: The ladies placed themselves in front of her and sped
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: out their dresses, and she gave the swineherd ten kisses
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: and received the pot. That was a pleasure day and night.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: The water in the pot was boiling. There was not
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: a single fire in the whole town, of which they
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: did not know what was preparing on it. The chamberlains
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: as well as the shoemaker's the ladies danced and clapped
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: their hands for joy. We know who will eat soup
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: and pancakes. We know who will eat porridge and cutlets. Oh,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: how interesting, very interesting, indeed, said the mistress of the household.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: But you must not betray me, for I am the
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: Emperor's daughter. Of course not, they all said the swineherd,
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: that is to say, the prince. But they did not
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: know otherwise than that he was a real swineherd. Did
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: not waste a single day without doing something. He made
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: a rattle, which, when turned quickly round, played all the waltzes,
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: gallops and polkas known since the creation of the world.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: But that is soup, boub, said the princess passing by.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: I have never heard a more beautiful composition. Go down
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: and ask him what the instrument costs. But I shall
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: not kiss him again. You will have a hundred kisses
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: from the princess, us, said the lady who had gone
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: down to ask him. I believe he is mad, said
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: the princess, and walked off. But soon she stopped. One
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: must encourage art, she said, I am the Emperor's daughter.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Tell him I will give him ten kisses, as I
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: did the other day. The remainder, one of my ladies
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: can give him, but we do not like to kiss him,
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: said the ladies. That is nonsense, said the princess. If
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: I can kiss him, you can also do it. Remember
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: that I give you food and employment. And the lady
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: had to go down once more. A hundred kisses from
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: the princess, said the swineherd, or everybody keeps his own place.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Yourselves before me, said the princess. Then they did as
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: they were bidden, and the princess kissed him. I wonder
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: what the crowd near the Pistine means, said the emperor,
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: who had just come out on his balcony. He rubbed
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: his eyes and put his spectacles on the ladies of
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: the quarter up to some mischief. I think I shall
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: have to go down and see. He pulled up his
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: shoes for the they were down at his heels, and
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: he was very quick about it. When he had come
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: down into the courtyard, he walked quite softly, And the
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: ladies were so busily engaged in counting the kisses that
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: all should be fair, that they did not notice the emperor.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: He raised himself on tiptoe. What does this mean? He said,
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: when he saw that his daughter was kissing the swineherd,
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: and then hid their heads with the shoe. Just as
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: the swineherd received the sixty eighth kiss, Go out of
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: my sight, said the emperor, for he was very angry,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: and both the princess and the swineherd were banished from
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: the empire. There she stood and cried. The swineherd scolded her,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: and the rain came down in torrents Alas unfortunate creature,
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: I am, said the princess. I wish I had accepted
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: the prince. Oh, how wretched I am. The swineherd went
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: behind a tree, wiped his face, threw off his poor attire,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: and stepped forth in his princely garments. He looked so
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: beautiful that the princess could not help bowing to him.
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: I have now learned to despise you, he said. You
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: refused an honest prince. You did not appreciate the rose
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: and the nightingale, but you did not mind kissing a
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: swineherd for his toys. You have no one but yourself
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: to blame. And then he returned to his kingdom and
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: left her behind. She could now sing at her leisure.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: A jolly old sow once lived in a Stye Three
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: Little Piggies has she End of the Swineherd? Recording by
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: eve Lynn end of Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales and
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: Short Stories, Volume one, eighteen thirty five to eighteen forty
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: two by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by H. P. Paul